DEMENTE TAPAS BAR

Good for:warm up drinks and food, school night fun, quality tapas, local beer on tap, getsemani vibes

Demente gets it so right. Retractable roof and curb-side rocking chairs to let you seep in the neighbourhood vibe of Getsemani's onda-filled Plaza Trinidad. Colombia's own Club Colombia beer squeezed fresh from the tap. A big-ass beergarden with wood-fire pizza oven and a big ass fan. Jukebox-style tunes that seem to perfectly read the crowd and the night (anything from Ray Charles to flapper Jazz to Michael Jackson to Dolly Parton). Quirky decor details like plates handpainted with quotes from Colombian poet Raúl Gómez Jattin, bottle-cap business cards and silhouettes etched into mirrors of past crazy/genius icons. Cool. Cool. Cool.

When owner Nicolas Wiesner, built and opened Demente on a lot that had stood vacant and weed-filled for over 20 years, we collectively held our breath. Would this be a foreign-owned sore-thumb, turfing the local streetfood vendors and messing with the gritty charm of our beloved Plaza? We needn't have worried. Nico has created a place that has embraced the local craziness and ambiance, not attempted to stifle it. The Plaza is an integral part of the bar's overall success, imbuing it with personality and a relaxed but entertaining energy. The result is a bar/eat-space with universal appeal that I recommend to everyone. Go there.

If you're travelling solo, perch yourself barside and chat with the charming Nico. Order your spirits straight-up and they'll plonk one of those fancy-pants spherical balls of ice in your glass to retard the dilution of your premium Rum. Now check out the tapas chalkboard. Good luck narrowing down the 14 plates, they all sound (and in reality are) so very good. This is where it pays to have some pals to share with. While you're mulling over your choices, definitely order the whole fried sweet chilli peppers to snack on. They are salty, addictive and delicious and will go perfectly with whatever you are drinking. The oxtail sliders are another favourite. They're small, but pack plenty of flavour. And, you know, sliders. Vegetarians are well-catered for with some of the best pizzas you'll eat in your life (fried artichoke pesto pizza and french onion soup pizza, I'm talking to you), the Desgranada de Mazorca takes a streetfood classic and then pimps it with lobster. As you do. Crab dumplings, bao buns, ceviche with chicharron. Without a hint of hyperbole, my mouth is totally watering just thinking about all the goodness.

And if you don't save enough room for at least a spoonful of the incredible coconut pie dessert, you are doing yourselves a huge disservice. I consider it the best dessert in Cartagena. You've been warned.